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Schell: Tree Brewing celebrates 15 years

Tree Brewing celebrates its 15-year anniversary with a new custom-designed bottle and beer-infused line of food products.

— image credit: Contributed

As many winemakers will tell you, “it takes a lot of beer to make good wine” and our local winemakers need not go far because we have a brewery just up the road to draw from—Tree Brewing.

Located next to Calona Wines in downtown Kelowna, Tree Brewing has been making its award winning handcrafted beer since 1996.

To celebrate their 15-year anniversary this year, Tree has introduced a new custom-designed bottle. Brewery president Tod Melnyk says, “We needed to do something that really conveys how different we are.”

This super sleek new look features an embossed Tree Brewing Co. logo and we love that they are fully recyclable and re-useable.

Tree makes its beers in small batches and uses just water, malt, hops and yeast, making them all natural and unpasteurized. With some fun names in their repertoire, they make a wide range of artisan brews. Choose from Hop Head India Pale Ale, Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale, Cutthroat West Coast Pale Ale, Kelowna Pilsner and Spy Porter. The Raspberry Porter is also a special brew—a dark English Style Ale, it exhibits light chocolate tones on the palette with, of course, that zing of raspberry.

Sure to be a hit with the guys this summer, don’t miss the sexy, fun label on the Beach Blonde Lager. New for this spring, this lager is available in six-pack cans. Tree says that it was “brewed exclusively for the hot summers of the Okanagan” and we found that it made the perfect pairing for beer can chicken.

Tree is now offering a delicious line of food products too. Enjoy the Stoned Mustard, Blasted Barbecue Sauce, Beer Barrel Peach Salsa, Hopped Pepper Jelly and Butter Chicken smokies infused with the rich flavour of the HopHead India Pale Ale. All are made with Tree beer and were created by Okanagan Specialty Foods.

Plan to pop in to the brewery and load up with a basket full of all of their treats—these will make perfect summer hostess gifts too.

And make sure to include the brewery on your wine tour list this summer. Tree is another local company to be proud of and great to show off to your guests. They offer kegs for sale too—hello barbecue party!

Also available at the liquor store, but it’s more fun to visit the brewery at 1083 Richter St. Tastings from 11 to 5 daily—call for tour times. www.treebeer.com

You can also have the chance to taste their hoppy wares at the Taste of Kelowna this Sunday March 27. Pop by my Food & Wine Trails Magazine booth to say hello and pick up a free copy of the new issue. The Okanagan Chefs Association will be selling their calendars at my table, with proceeds going to Japan! See you there.

Jennifer Schell is editor of B.C. Wine Trails Magazine.

jennschell@shaw.ca

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